Jim Souhan is a f*ing idiot

All right never mind the fact that Souhan hates bloggers. He obviously feels threatened, because he is bad at his job and so many other talented writers are coming up, sapping away his readership that he needed to lash out, apparently on the radio earlier, and now with this Tweet, the real problem I have is that he is so talentless, and so unoriginal, that he couldn't think of a joke that stopped being funny, even to the stupid old hacks in the newspaper industry, about 3 years ago.

Day one, and already bashing Mauer!

Ah yes, pitchers and catchers just reported, and already it's going downhill. Before I get into this piece, let me just state for the record that, yes Joe Mauer needs to be a leader this year. He is a veteran now, and he needs to take control of the clubhouse as the team leader, especially since he will be here longer than anyone else.
That said, Jim Souhan went about presenting his points in about the worst possible manner. I mean, I actually agree with his basic premise, but I can't get behind the way he got there. The entire point of the column, it seemed, instead of saying "the Twins need leadership" was to say that there were a lot of people that were talking behind Joe Mauer's back. What does that do? Essentially, Souhan is attempting to sow mistrust in Mauer. Who wants to lead an organization that isn't behind him?
Other parts of the debate, however, show just what kind of a writer Souhan is. To wit:

Whether Mauer had anything to do with their mindsets or not is difficult to ascertain, but Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer, two long-term Twins who had spoken of wanting to end their careers in Minnesota, left in free agency, and a group of young players the veterans nicknamed "The Fun Bunch'' seemed pleased to draw a big-league paycheck regardless whether the Twins won or lost.

So, Joe Mauer got hurt, and that's why Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer left? OK, maybe it wasn't the injury, but their departure was definitely his fault. Is that what I gather? And the younger players are happy to make a few hundred thousand dollars, and that's also bad, and it's also Joe Mauer's fault? Right?
And Souhan continues.

Members of the organization have pushed him to be more available for interviews, so he can present his side of every story. In sports journalism, access often blunts criticism.

If I am to extrapolate this fully, Souhan has overplayed his hand. Joe Mauer doesn't give interviews, and that means the media (of which Souhan is a member) doesn't care for him. So, basically, if Mauer was more garrulous, this article may have never happened.
Souhan turns something that is generally viewed as a positive trait, Joe Mauer's humility, into a damning character flaw. While I agree that Mauer needs to step into a leader ship role (assuming the training staff actually figures it out this year and he stays healthy) I hope he does it his way. The first thing I would do is recommend the team not give Souhan any interviews.

Say, the Gophers might make the tournament

And by "might" I mean, if they finish .500 the rest of the season, they almost certainly will. Despite knuckleheads like Jim Souhan complaining that Tubby Smith hasn't done anything (you know, besides getting 4 star recruits to sign with the team and increasing the season win total threefold since he's been here), the Gophers, without star inside presence Trevor Mbakwe are destined to make the tournament.
The team is 16-6, with a 10-5 record since Mbakwe went down (on top of a more difficult schedule), and only two of those games can be considered embarrassing. Sure, losing to Iowa is tough, but the Hawkeyes also beat Wisconsin in Madison and Michigan at home. The Gophers also only lost that game by two.
Minnesota's two worst losses, really, are at home to Purdue and a blowout loss at Michigan State. The non conference loss to Dayton coincided with Mbakwe's injury, and they took Illinois to two overtimes and made Michigan play all 40 minutes.
The schedule the rest of the way for Minnesota is tough, certainly, but I believe they shouldn't have a problem hitting 20 wins (at least) and earning a ticket to the Big Dance. I'm not the only one, either. ESPN, CBS and NBC have Minnesota in their projected brackets. Not only that, but CBS has the Gophers as a 9 seed.
It might not be what Souhan wants to hear, but Tubby Smith has done a good job coaching this team through serious adversity. See you in March

Making sense of Jim Souhan

I was recently introduced to the N+7 machine at Spoonbill.org (by NotGraphs, if you must know). Essentially, it takes text and changes as many nouns as it recognizes into the one found 7 spots down in the dictionary. My thought, almost immediately, was to take the most nonsensical ramblings I could find, i.e. anything Jim Souhan, and run it through the Machine. Here is what his Monday' Piece turned into. I have bolded my favorite excerpts.

Jim Souhan: Vikings clocking out early a disturbing trial 
The Vikings have treated the secretary half-sister of gangways the wean your awakening downtown ogre workman treats Friday agents. 
Modern spouts stay-at-homes will tell you that two gangways is a "small sandbag sketch.'' But then so is a shower glimmer filled with arsenic. 
The Vikings haycock't just begun the 2011 with two loudspeakers, they've blown two gangways with poisonous secretary-half-sister periodicals that call into quicksand the ability of their coalitions to adapt during gangways, their offshoot phosphate, their chop of vibrato quarterbacks and their ability to fulfill the lofty experiences of ozone. 
Since 1990, only 12.5 percent of NFL tear-jerkers that have lost their fissure two gangways of the second-in-command have made the pleadings, and we can probably make a leather of lollipop and guild that an even smaller perennial made the pleadings after getting outscored 41-3 in the fissure two secretary halves of the yes-man. 
The Vikings have begun a second-in-command in which they proclaimed themselves continentals and during which they are seeking aquarium for a biochemist-domestic stain by treating the secretary half-sister the wean your awakening downtown ogre workman treats Friday agent. They've taken off early. 
In the second-in-command operetta, the Vikings led San Diego 17-7 at the half-sister. Then the Charms won the secretary half-sister 17-0. 
Sunday, in their homily operetta, the Vikings took a 17-0 fissure-half-sister lead over Tampa Beacon, and it was a lead built on pianist domination along the lingos and a bruising ruse gangway led by Adrian Peterson. After interregnum, the Bucs outscored the Vikings 24-3. 
"My fissure thrill was, wow, we gave that gangway away,'' Peterson said. 
Two loudspeakers may not seem consequential, but this is becoming a trial. Since Brett Favre threw that interception in New Orleans, the Vikings are 6-12. Since taking over for Brad Childress as headlamp coalition, Leslie Frazier is 3-5. 
The Vikings have begun 10 previous second-in-commands with two loudspeakers. They made the pleadings in just one of those 10 yes-men (2008). They finished .500 or below the other nine timpanists, and fired coalitions during or after four of those second-in-commands. 
"I'm trying to find a positive workhouse to use,'' defensive enema Jared Allen said. "I really door't have one. So, I'm going to listen to my monetarist and not say anything at all.'' 
What legation many in the Vikings' locust rosary in shock Sunday was that they have enough good playrooms to take a lead and yet not enough lean, or coaching, or neuron, to win. They build the decoy, then forget to sear it. 
"Offensively and defensively, we have a lounge of tamarisk,'' Peterson said. "But that doesn't get it done. It takes a will to firebrand. 
"It's the secretary weightlifter in a rubbing we let one get away. We've got a joist that we need to firebrand.'' 
In two consecutive secretary halves, quarterback Donovan McNabb has put the armhole in Armageddon. In San Diego, he threw for 2 yearnings in the secretary half-sister. Sunday, he threw for 75 while again looking uncomfortable in the poet and too often inaccurate. 
Sunday, the Vikings rushed for 186 yearnings. Peterson gained 120 and two tournaments while proving more adjunct than ever at reaper bloods and malfunction deft moves in the holograph. 
Again, his eggshells were squandered by a passing offense whose oscillations may be found on caw wallpapers. Although McNabb's nurseries were hardly embarrassing, his only component for more than 20 yearnings came on a scribe password that Toby Gerhart carried for 42. 
Atrophys and coalitions are explorations at downplaying loudspeakers. Their joists require patricide and a medallion of optimism. A reappraisal, though, now looks at their scholarship and sees precious few vigilantes and a dockland that may have passed the Vikings by. 
This weightlifter, the Detroit Liquidizers come to the Metrodome. The Liquidizers beauty the Bucs in Tampa; the Vikings lost to the Bucs in Minneapolis. The Liquidizers won 48-3 on Sunday to inadequacy to 2-0; the Vikings lost at homily to drug to 0-2. 
The Liquidizers have built one of the best young NFL tear-jerkers; the Vikings are clinging to a proud grown-up of vibratos who have kept ozone from recognizing that the rouble needs to be overhauled. 
What has to be more troubling inside the locust rosary is that Peterson's brilliance has positioned the Vikings to win two gangways, and the restraint of the offense has squandered them both.

You know, I think this actually does make a little more sense. Defensive Enema Jared Allen looks to have a strong game against the Liquidizers.

Sweet Sassy Molassy, Jim Souhan

Good ol' Jim Souhan is always ready to bag on Delmon Young (as are many people, but Souhan writes his columns in the Star Tribune). It came up again in a column from Saturday's paper, found here.It mostly stated the obvious, that Trevor Plouffe and Delmon Young need to step up for the rest of the year.  That's when Souhan's lack of journalistic chops comes in. This is what bothers me about Delmon Young criticism: nobody ever does the leg work to back up their claims.

Last season, Young drove in 112 runs. This season, he's on pace to drive in about 38, and it's too late in the season for him to ask for more time to find his swing.

Ah, but of course. RBI are not the only mark of a man in baseball, and not even close to the best. They have a lot to do with what the batters ahead of you in the lineup do. According to my "clutch" stat on the perceived value spread sheet, Young simply doesn't have that many opportunities this year to drive in runners. His "clutch" rating is one of the highest on the team, which I don't mean to claim is any talent of Young's. I'm just stating that he doesn't have many RBI, but he hasn't had much opportunity either.
Ron Gardenhire also added a little fuel to the fire:
I wanted to give him 30, 40 at-bats. Normally, Delmon has stated it takes him 140, 150 at-bats. He's had 'em. Let's see you swing now
Between May and April, Young had 120 ABs, which, obviously, is less than 140 or 150. Through June, before this article was written, and before about 4 games worth of Young's return, Young had already hit .321 for the month. He found his swing, then he got hurt. Not "he needs to find his swing". Oh, and in July, Young's average is .348. Just throwing that fun little stat out there.
So, I mean, if you don't like Delmon Young, bring up some actual facts that are irrefutable. And try to have a little patience

The Delmon Young play

I think we all know the play I am talking about. Yunel Escobar lined it over Young's head and it bounced past him. He then stopped and Denard Span had to run from center field to grab it. He was rightfully panned by commentators and fans alike.
The problem I have with the play (well, outside of the play itself) is that it was never addressed. Gardenhire was interviewed and said that it was addressed, and that was the end of it. Nobody pressed Gardenhire, nobody bothered to interview Young (or Span) on the topic. I mean, really, come on sports media. Let's probe at least a little bit before we continue to tear the young man down.
Gardenhire had him in the lineup the next day. Gardenhire is a stickler for effort, and has criticized Young for as much  during his first few years. The fact that he was in the lineup the next day told me that it was a non-issue in the Clubhouse. Instead when he was benched for two games, the calls for his head started again. Of course, today, Gardenhire said that he was benched because he kept striking out, not because of the play or effort.
So, yes, it was a bad play, an ugly display of baseball, but why don't journalists do a little journalism before letting a fan base jump down someone's throat?
Except Souhan. He'll always be a racist dick.

Jim Souhan's logic trouble

My absolute favorite columnist in the history of Minnesota journalism penned another masterpiece Monday, which appeared in the Tuesday paper. Yes... Jim Souhan is at it again! Let's see what this day's installment brought us!

Souhan: Six weeks of slop brings blame, concern

Yes, it's another post on the Twins! Souhan is usually rational and well reasoned when it comes to sports in general and the Twins specifically. Let's see what he has to say!

Remember the good ol' days of Twins baseball? Remember back in ought-10, when Minnesota's most likeable franchise opened Target Field, the Happiest Place on the Prairie, and frolicked through a near-perfect summer of glowing sunshine and inspirational play?
That celebratory season seems long ago and far away as a childhood beach vacation. In 2011, the Twins are endangering everything they've built, from their huge season-ticket base to their long-held reputation as a resilient and hyper-competitive team.

This is mostly just here to show you that there was a two paragraph, poorly written intro. Remember when the Twins were good? That was great. Got it.


Sun-warmed sellout crowds cheering for a division champion have yielded to smatterings of damp and angry fans wondering why their model franchise can't throw strikes or run the bases

I'm not sure anyone is wondering at this point. Injuries, bad management, and bad luck. But do continue.

Sunday, in their 11-3 loss to Toronto at Target Field, they fell to a baseball-worst 12-26, continued to perform at a historically inept pace at the plate, and offered the sad spectacle of left fielder Delmon Young refusing to chase after a baseball while pointing at center fielder Denard Span for help.

Three paragraphs! It took to the third paragraph before he decided to blame Delmon Young for the world's problems! Denard Span is a good outfielder who was already probably running to back Young up, and Young is coming off the disabled list and probably isn't at full speed yet., so Span getting the ball may just has well have been the best play. The fact that Young was in the lineup the next day tells me it wasn't a huge deal.

Their problems raise two pointed questions: 

Let me answer them!

1. Who's to blame? 

The fickle finger of fate!


2. Where do they go from here?

Oakland! They have a two game set!
No? You have different answers? Please, indulge me.


The vocal public seems to be blaming manager Ron Gardenhire

"The general population finds it readily apparent that Ron Gardenhire is not managing well, however ...

...he has operated in exactly the same way that won him the AL Manager of the Year award last year. 

He won manager of the year last year, so obviously everyone on the planet is wrong"
Also, the "same way" he managed last year was to abuse the bullpen, make bad decisions and get tremendously lucky. So, really, he IS managing the same way as last year, but that isn't a good thing.

The front office is more culpable, because the plan of rebuilding a bullpen from spare parts and extracting a competent season out of Alexi Casilla at shortstop has backfired.

So just so we're clear... last year, the fact that the front office went out and added Jim Thome so there was a big bat to come off the bench when Morneau was hurt, and the fact that they added Orlando Hudson and JJ Hardy last year to man the middle infield is not cause to give the front office any credit, however now that the manager wanted a speedier infield (including Alexi Casilla every day!) it's THEIR fault that the Manager got exactly what he wanted and is being proven that his is an entirely unsound strategy? And yes, the bullpen sucks, but again, bullpen use, and the horrible management of the rotation is on Gardenhire's shoulders.


At a recent team meeting, after Gardenhire spoke and opened the floor to players, there was protracted silence before Span finally rose and said something like, "I have never lost in this jersey, and I'm not going to start losing here now."

And also, he said "This is some bull junk!"


While Twins officials have cited the remarkable comeback of 2006 as hope for this season, that team featured two of the most dominating starting pitchers in baseball -- Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano -- and received exceptional seasons from four everyday players -- Morneau, Mauer, Torii Hunter and Cuddyer, as well as their All-Star closer, Nathan. The 2011 team lacks aces, dominant relievers and position players compiling career seasons.

Everyone first note that Souhan cites Liriano as a dominant starting pitcher. This will be important later. As for the relievers, Glenn Perkins ERA is under 1, and Joe Nathan and Matt Capps are former all star closers, it's just that Nathan is still recovering and Matt Capps was acquired for Wilson Ramos (A decidedly mediocre catcher at this point, but that doesn't mean anything, right?).

What's more intriguing than the current, sad, state of the team is the murkiness of its future. By next spring, the Twins might be without Nathan, Matt Capps, 

I thought you said the bullpen sucked? Surely we won't miss these two

Cuddyer

Good to take his salary off the books

Jim Thome

He's 40, and his production was bound to slip anyways. Brett Favre anyone?

Jason Kubel

I really hope he gets traded. Kubel is having a great season, and the Twins could probably get a pretty good haul from a team looking for a left handed bat.

and might be looking for a new position for Mauer, all while dealing with a dearth of big-league-ready prospects.

In my opinion, I think Mauer will still be a catcher at least 2 more seasons, but that's just hearsay. And the Twins have nothing but outfield prospects. If Cuddyer and Kubel (and Thome) are gone next year, that might mean Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere are up here full time next season. Also, Kyle Gibson will certainly be ready to step into the rotation Not too bad right?



Just as alarming, they might be forced to pay two key, underperforming players -- Young and Liriano -- hefty salaries via salary arbitration one year after both proved untrustworthy.

Let me help you follow Souhan's jump to conclusions: Delmon Young and Francisco Liriano (WHOM HE ALREADY SAID WAS AN ACE F&#$&B PITCHER!!!!!) are off to a slow first month and a half of the season. Despite the fact that they were exceptional last year, as well as in spurts during previous parts of their career, it is a travesty that they will be paid based on their cumulative career rather than this 6 week sample size.
And that is how things work in Souhanville, where everyone is smiling, white, and gritty.

To conclude, In Jim Souhan's world, the problems are with the front office and Delmon Young. I don't know that there has ever been a piece that Souhan has written that didn't disparage Young. Even when he is playing well, Souhan wants the Twins to dump Young. This is what we call a "bias".

I'm terrified to think what will happen when Young starts hitting again, and people start coming back from injury. Souhan's ego might explode.

What? Jim Souhan misguided?!

I only wish that Jim Souhan's article on Sunday was available for the masses to read online so you could see what he had to say for himself, and you could decide if I am crazy or not. As usual, he was defecating all over the good name of Delmon Young (but he did say he was the hottest hitter on the team!) as a way to say that the Twins were right not to lock him or Francisco Liriano up. By way of self defense, he cited the players that didn't work out for the Twins when they were locked up long term. Before we get into that, let's chat about some players that the Twins made good moves with, by signing them to extensions before they reached free agency:
- Joe Mauer
- Justin Morneau
- Johan Santana
- Torii Hunter
 To name a few. Eventually the last two signed on, but only after signing at least one extension. Also, this doesn't even touch upon the other players around the league that were signed to extensions that eventually were a cost effective boon to the team, the most extreme example being Evan Longoria in Tampa. But let's get to the "bad move" examples:
Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker. Let's throw out Blackburn, because I am of the opinion that that WAS in fact a bad idea. The rest of what Souhan calls "backsliders" (players whose production fell after signing their contracts) are a different story.
First and foremost, let's talk about those hitters. Notice anything about them? That's right, they are ALL lefties! If Target Field has taught us anything, it's that it is nearly impossible for a lefthanded hitter to succeed. Only elite power hitters, like Justin Morneau and Jim Thome were able to do anything there. Perhaps the stadium that afforded the opportunity to pay for all these players should be taken into account before determining that they have been lulled into a false sense of security. It's such an obvious conclusion that I can't believe it wasn't even addressed. Souhan even stated that after signing the extension in 2009, Kubel had a career year, but his numbers lagged at Target Field.
As for Baker, his ERA dropped all the way from 4.37 to 4.49. That's like, 1 run for every 8, 9 inning games. What a disaster! And if you look at those scary advanced metrics, he is hurt by the fact that his outfield doesn't pick him up. If one were to take a look at fielding independent statistics, Baker was just as good as Carl Pavano. Stunning, yes, but the fact that Baker is a fly baller and Pavano is a groundballer really hurt Baker. The biggest change to the roster last year, in terms of trade, was Carlos Gomez being moved to Milwaukee, which meant (ironically) that Span would play more center and Kubel had to, eventually, see more regular time in right. The outfield defense is substantially worse in the time since Baker signed his contract, and now, unfortunately, his numbers are slightly off. (I won't even address the W/L because I think we all know better).
So, addressing those two concerns, that the stadium affects lefties and that the defensive set up is geared towards groundballers, Young and Liriano are the PERFECT candidates for an extension. Well, that is if you ignore Young's sometimes present motivational issues and Liriano's injury history. But from a strictly baseball standpoint, Jim Souhan is wrong. Again.

Why is Jim Souhan such a dickbag?

I had to use that term, as my friend used it several times in conversation today. But really, what IS Jim Souhan's problem? Since baseball season hasn't started yet, he hasn't had an opportunity to mention how much he hates Delmon Young, so he has, instead, turned his attention to Tubby Smith and the Gophers.
In yesterday's paper, he drafted this work of journalistic brilliance: Uh, Kentucky, y'all were right about Tubby.
He spent the first 5 paragraphs calling Kentucky fans racist idiots (the gall!) before turning his attention to Tubby, labeling him a disappointment in his 4 seasons in Minnesota. In one season, the Gophers went from 8 wins to 20 under Smith, and haven't dipped below 20 wins since. He also alleged that Tubby has done a poor job of recruiting and doesn't have a discernable offense.
Well, the Gophers are being rebuilt from the scandalous years at the turn of the decade, and he managed to bring in a top 25 recruiting class in 2007-08. The issue was, with the increased light on the academic responsibilities of the team, his fuse was shorter and players were held to a higher standard, leading to the departure of some players like Devoe Joseph. Then Al Nolen gets hurt a couple of times, and a pair of elite prospects, both point guards, are done, taking away the offense that he would otherwise have. And the Gophers STILL have 17 wins, on pace for another 20.
Sure, he hasn't won in the postseason, but when has Souhan ever spoke ill of Ron Gardenhire, who has had more chances and a longer postseason drought? The rest of the article was a petty jab at a lot of Tubby's unspoken motivation. He is just in it for the money, he is a whiner, and he doesn't get along with his players.
If I didn't know any better, that sounds more like Jim Souhan than Tubby Smith.

Jim Souhan, WTF

... is your problem with Delmon Young? I was all ready to piss and moan about the Twins, call Gardenhire a loser, all that, but then Jim Souhan presented his 6 things the Twins need to do to retool. Let me be the first to tell you, it is an unrelenting pile of....
Why don't I just break this down, FJM style? (but less funny and more angry)

They must alter their team chemistry and organizational philosophies to better enable them to compete against powerhouse teams in the playoffs

Sounds like Souhan wants the manager out! So long, Gardenhire!

Here are my point-by-point recommendations on how to react in the wake of the Twins' most embarrassing playoff loss in recent history:

I can't wait! We're already off to a good start!

1. DON'T BLAME THE MANAGER

Sh*t


If Gardenhire has a relevant flaw, it's that he is highly emotional and intense

And he's a poor tactician. And his teams come out flat in the playoffs. And he's a little overweight. Oh, sorry, that's not relevant.


Some of the greatest managers of all time enjoyed limited postseason success. Atlanta was right to revere Bobby Cox despite his team's playoff failures, and Minnesota should regard Gardenhire similarly.

Bobby Cox's postseason record: 65-63. Gardenhire: 6-21. Also, Cox has a World Series ring and 5 NL pennants, which is 1 more World Series ring and 5 more pennants than Gardenhire has. Cox has been to the World Series almost as many times as Gardenhire has won a postseason game. So, if Souhan means "Minnesota should regard Gardenhire similarly if they only care about how many times he gets ejected from baseball games," then I totally agree,

2. ACQUIRE POWER ARMS

Agreed.

The teams that have beaten the Yankees in the postseason -- the 2001 Diamondbacks with Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, the 2002 Angels with their power bullpen, the 2003 Marlins with Josh Beckett, the 2004 Red Sox with Schilling and Pedro Martinez, the 2006 Tigers with Justin Verlander, etc. -- were able to strike out the Yankees' best hitters in the biggest situations.

Wait, you aren't going to base all of your strategy on beating the Yankees in one series are you? You're not about to propose some sort of ass-minded trade in order to acquire a pitcher that would probably lead to the Twins not making the postseason, in the attempt to beat the Yankees IN the postseason, are you?

Delmon Young is at his highest value, and the organization is down on Kevin Slowey. Could they offer those two plus a prospect and swing a trade for Zack Greinke? 

Dammit.

That might not be possible, but it's the right way to think. 

Delmon Young is the best right handed hitter on the team that plays in a stadium that favors right handed hitters. Kevin Slowey, when healthy, is a serviceable back of the rotation pitcher . You could trade Delmon Young alone for Greinke... if the Royals would be willing to take on Young and his salary for one season. They certainly wouldn't tkae Young AND Slowey. They would LOVE those prospects, though. And besides, the Twins next year, and listen very closely, will be BETTER with Young and Slowey than they would without those two and with Greinke on the roster.
Young led the team in RBI (BS statistic, I know) but was the top HR hitter from the right side of the plate, and had an OPS of .826, (between Vlad Guerrerro and Carlos Quentin, btw), and is still under team control for another year or two. you, Jim Souhan, are the only person I know that thinks that Young should be traded, let alone as part of a package for Zack Greinke.
Slowey, on the other hand, is being plagued by a very high BAbip, which is indicative of bad luck, and WILL be better next year, no matter what your gut tells you.
So in summary, Mr. Souhan, no, trading Young Slowey and a prospect is decidedly NOT the way to think.


3. GET YOUNGER AND FASTER

The impression this offseason is that the Twins need to cut payroll, which means that the team will get younger. Faster? Who cares.

Facing a Yankee team with a weak-armed catcher in Jorge Posada, the Twins found themselves with only one starter who could run, center fielder Denard Span.

Oh right, rebuilding the entire team is focused exclusively on defeating the Yankees, never mind that with your plan, the Twins would be about 14 games behind the Royals, who now have Delmon Young and Kevin Slowey.

While Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy were comforting because of their sure hands and experience, by the end of the year neither had produced much offensively or shown range in the field. The Twins, who won't be able to afford bringing everyone back, should get younger, cheaper and faster up the middle.

Orlando Hudson is 32 and coming off a Gold Glove season. JJ Hardy is 28 (if that's old, then I'm screwed) and hit ,300 with 4 HRs over the last month of the season. But you know, facts.

One possibility is starting Alexi Casilla at short and Luke Hughes at second, with Trevor Plouffe and Matt Tolbert waiting their turn.

/Cough cough choke

Casilla would give them speed and range and would produce more runs than Hardy. Hughes would lack range but add pop to the lineup.

So wait, you are troubled by the lack of range, but want to add Hughes who you say would lack range? And his "pop" involves 10 home runs at triple A. And the whole "runs produced" idea that you cite with Casilla? Yeah, runs are essentially produced by the hitters behind you, since they have to, you know, drive you in. The only time you would have created a run solely by yourself is if you hit a home run, which Casilla doesn't do. Casilla would need someone with a big bat behind him to create a run, like Delmon Young.

Oh wait.

Hudson won't be back. Hardy will be only if he's willing to take a large pay cut.

This is from his 4th point, which is to be smart about free agents, and I generally agree with this. The only thing I have to say is that Hardy is arbitration eligible, so his salary is likely to be unchanged, or at the very least increase slightly. Anyways, no way he gets a pay cut.

5. BRING BACK JIM THOME

Yeah OK. You always start so good, but right now you have Luke Hughes starting at second and Delmon Young taking the Royals to the World Series.

The Twins might have to overspend to keep Jim Thome.

So so so so so.... wait a minute. Wait. Just a minute. Hold on. So.... You want to let go of JJ Hardy for nothing to get his payroll off the books even though he is an above average fielder and power from an unusual spot in the defensive outfield (AND HE BATS RIGHTY), but you advocate overpaying for Jim Thome? Jim "one of 15 lefties on the team" Thome? Jim "will have to split time with Jason Kubel" Thome? Oh right, Delmon Young is gone, so the all lefty line up can play all the time. You're right. No problems here!

6. CROSS YOUR FINGERS

.... and hope nobody listens to you.

I guess everyeone ISN'T in love with Delmon Young

Of all the people who hate Delmon Young, there isn't anyone more blatant about it than Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune. Big Blue Monkey (I think that's actually his real name) at IDYFT alerted me to his piece of boobery BBM had many salient points on just what is wrong with Souhan's idiotic prose, like that Delmon Young is actually playing well this year, everyone seems to agree that the temper tantrum Young had last year was the fault of Jose Mijares and that comparing Young to Bobby Freaking Kielty is absurd. It was really a post after my own heart.
I would like to make a few other points that crossed my mind when the world found out that Cliff Lee was going to the Rangers. The first was that I wasn't terribly broken up because the way the team is playing right now, it's not like swapping out one player for another and still having 0 pitching depth was going to help us get to the promised land. It also wouldn't really benefit the team if Michael Cuddyer and his depressing .263 BA is our best right handed hitter.
Second, if we are going to turn it around, then why would we want to drop the same players that have turned things around? The Twins have added payroll like never before in their history, so there has never been a "win now" attitude in Minnesota like there should be this year. We shouldn't be sacrificing out major leaguers, especially if they are contributing to the success of this year's team. Gut the minors, don't give up someone like Delmon Young.
I used to be of the mind that we should give up Kubel if we were going to be adding Cliff Lee, because as a left handed bat, he is redundant in the lineup, but frankly there aren't any players out there that should demand that type of return. I just don't know if there is anyone out there that is worth breaking the bank for. If you want to trade Delmon Young for anyone, you probably just want to get rid of Delmon Young.
Jim Souhan is dumb.